Rare Himalayan bee recorded in India for first time in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang

A rare solitary Himalayan bee, Colletes bhutanicus, has been recorded in India for the first time from Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), officials said.

The species was documented during a recent survey in Tawang by ZSI scientists Dibyajyoti Ghosh, KA Subramanian and Dhriti Banerjee.

The bee had previously been recorded in Bhutan and China, including the Xizang region. Its discovery in Arunachal Pradesh adds to scientific knowledge about the distribution and diversity of pollinators in the Himalayan region, officials said.

Researchers found the bee at elevations ranging from 1,500 metres to 3,800 metres. It was observed visiting 25 species of flowering plants, including mustard, buckwheat, coriander, beans, chilli and eggplant.

Unlike honeybees, Colletes bees are solitary and do not live in large colonies. Individual bees generally build nests separately and contribute to pollination by moving between flowers to collect pollen and nectar.

The discovery provides fresh insights into the bee diversity of the eastern Himalayas, officials said.

Earlier taxonomic studies had documented C. bhutanicus in Bhutan and parts of China. A 2014 study published in Zootaxa listed the species among Colletes bees recorded from China, while scientific records from Xizang have documented the species at several high-altitude locations.

Arunachal Pradesh, with its wide range of altitudes, climate and vegetation, is one of India's important biodiversity regions. The latest finding highlights the need for continued biodiversity surveys in the state's remote mountainous areas, where several species remain poorly documented, officials said.

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein described the discovery of the rare bee in Tawang as a matter of pride for Arunachal Pradesh and said it highlighted the potential role of native pollinators in supporting mountain agriculture.